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Saturday, April 27, 2019

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

Its Saturday morning and with a little bit of looking around everyone should be able to find some good surf fishing. Reports from mid week had the pompano bite slow in some spots and pretty darn good in others. The afternoon continues to be the prime time and locations like Blue Heron, Stuart, Tiger Shores, Stuart, and Hobe Sound Public Beach all produced some fish. Pompano, bluefish, whiting, and blue runners were all taken. EZ Flea Fishbites- if you can find a supply, and Orange Clam continue to produce. Find the nice water that's weed free and you will probably bend a rod. Good luck and catch em up.

From Todd &Trey @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

INSHORE:  Snook fishing has been very good this week, especially at night.  The snook are definitly beginning to move towards the inlets and they are eating along the way.  Big swimbaits and flair hawk jigs are working well around the bridges at night, while big live mullet are a great choice during the day around boat docks and seawalls.  Mixed in with the snook have been a few bruiser jacks.  Tarpon are hanging around Palm Beach Inlet in fair numbers.  Other inshore action is a bit spotty at present.  

SURF/PIER:  Pompano fishing remains good this week; but not as good as the past few weeks.  Sandfleas, clams, and FIshBites remain the baits of choice for the pompano.  The Juno Beach Pier has had a good number of Spanish Mackerel around, along with a handful of KIngfish as well.  A few big jacks and tarpon have been seen at the pier as well.  Best action will be early in the morning and late in the afternoon for the most part.  Rapala X-Raps and Yo-Zuri Longcast Minnows are a great choice for all around action.  Snook continue to increase in numbers around the pier and along the beach.  The Juno Beach Pier snook bite has been best on dead sardines over the past week.  

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

It was definitely a " Chamber of Commerce" weekend as far as the weather and surf conditions were concerned and the catch list was impressive. Pompano, whiting, croaker, jacks, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, blue runners, and bonefish were all taken from local beaches. Saturday proved to be the slowest day of the holiday weekend but there was still a lot of rod bending. My son Dan ,daughter in law Erin and grandkids, Christian and Emmy are here for the week and they all took turns reeling in plenty of fish. We got a little bit of a late start on Saturday but the late morning produced a couple of keeper pompano, whiting, croakers, and even a bonefish. We fished at Stuart Beach where the water was super clean and very calm. EZ Flea Fishbites and sandfleas were our baits of choice. Christian nailed both keeper pompano on one rig and got his first doubleheader. My granddaughter Emmy and daughter in law Erin teamed up to land their first bonefish also using a piece of EZ Flea Fishbites. Easter Sunday we decided to head north and try a couple of beaches to the north and ended up at Blue Heron. The bite definitely picked up as we put 9 nice pompano and a whole bunch of big whiting in the cooler. Reports from Middle Cove and a couple of beaches by Fort Pierce Inlet told of a good pompano bite, especially in the afternoon. Today, Monday, was even better as the grandkids took a day off so I fished by myself in the morning and was lucky enough to end up with 20 nice pompano and a cooler of big whiting . EZ Flea,Pink Shrimp, and yellow Crab Fishbites along with frozen sandfleas were the ticket today. I talked to a couple of friends who fished at Middle Cove today and they also experienced a good pompano and whiting bite. Light East winds are forecast all week so look for this great fishing to continue. Look for good water color and make sure you have the right equipment to reach the pompano if they are your targeted species. The late morning and early afternoon high tides this week should make for a good afternoon bite as long as the weather that we are experiencing stays around.

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

Yesterday's surf action was excellent - as long as whiting was your targeted species. Reports regarding the pompano bite in our local area were not good as a few fish were reported at Tiger Shores and Stuart beach early in the morning. My son Paul and I started at Bathtub Beach at first light and found super clean water and a flat surf. The only bites we got there were from blue runners and bonefish. The bonefish action certainly tells you the water clarity on the bottom is excellent, as this species is always associated with clean water. We moved to Stuart Beach around 8 am and the whiting were there in big numbers. The key to catching them yesterday was casting 70 to 80 yards from shore and having Orange Clam and Pink Shrimp Fishbites on your rigs. The bird activity and bait movement at Stuart yesterday morning was something to see. Spanish Mackerel and bluefish were on those schools at first light, and fishermen targeting them with spoons had great success. It was obvious that they were still present when we arrived, as the first few whiting we hooked ended up bit in half before we could get them to shore. It appears that the usually reliable pompano action in Hobe Sound at this time of year is being affected by the beach replenishment activity occurring up and down Jupiter Island. If you are fishing in the area where the dredge is pumping and the current or wind is pushing all of that dirty water your way, its time to find a new spot. The missing pompano from the last couple of days will show up again - so look for the clean water and you should hook a few. The beauty of area is when one species takes a day off from biting, there is usually another type available to bend your rod. 

Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

INSHORE FISHING:
Along the beaches around Jensen Beach, they are still catching some nice size pompano and plenty of whiting and croaker along with a few snook.
In the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers snook bite is beginning to get good. Anglers working the docks and bridges using live bait (mostly pilchards with a few threadfins) are having a blast.
They are also landing a few nice trout as bycatch.
If you’re looking for a rod-bending fight there have also been some big jack crevalle in the area.
A steady supply of pilchards can be found at Stuart Live Bait in Manatee Pocket.
At the Boynton Inlet, sheepshead and croaker have been hitting crabs and cut shrimp off the north jetty during the day.
At night, snook over 40 inches are being caught using live mullet or croaker fished on the bottom and two- to four-ounce jigs (either Flarehawks or white chicken feathers) bounced off the bottom.
In the Intracoastal, on the flats north of the inlet and the docks along Hypoluxo and Manalapan, there has been decent action on bonefish, snook, jack crevalle, ladyfish, mangrove snapper, moonfish and redfish. Best bets have been live shrimp on eighth-ounce jig heads, bouncing three eighths-ounce yellow butterbean bucktail jigs off the bottom during the day and using epoxy glass minnow flies on five- to eight-weight fly rods at night.
Lantana Bridge anglers have been catching ladyfish and Spanish mackerel using live shrimp and glass minnows.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE:
The bass bite is still excellent! They are being caught on shiners as well as artificial baits including swim jigs and spinner baits working the outside grasslines. Hot spots have been Kings Bar, Third Point and the Buckhead Ridge area.
The spec bite is pretty much over, but the bluegill bite has been coming on strong. Though it’s still a month away before they begin bedding down, they are being caught on worms and crickets in the Kissimmee River.
The lake level is low so boaters be careful.
NOTEWORTHY:
The West Palm Beach Fishing Club’s annual Marine Yard Sale will be held from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The event will be held at the club’s historic headquarters at 201 Fifth Street in downtown West Palm Beach. It will feature a huge variety of used items including rods and reels, coolers, fish mounts, dock lines, gaffs, cast nets, landing nets, lures, diving gear, tackle boxes and more. Proceeds benefit the youth education and marine conservation efforts of the Palm Beach County Fishing foundation, the club’s charitable affiliate. For information, call 561-832-6780 or visit www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org
courtesy of Palm Beach Post

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

" Threes a charm" is not the phrase that most folks that target pompano use when it comes to a location that has been producing great pompano fishing. . The rule that I was taught by a local friend and commercial pompano guru was that one day at a spot- great, two days-fantastic, three days , go buy a lottery ticket because that's unbelievable. After two great days of pompano fishing, today they were pretty much gone. My sons Paul Jr and Randy , my daughter in law Jennifer , and friend Chuck Frith got into an all day bite at Stuart yesterday. Chuck got his recreational limit in short time and headed home early. Another friend and local surf fisherman, Ron Robinson from Stuart, caught his limit in 45 minutes and called it a morning. My group each got their 6 fish and after they filled up the cooler I stayed and was lucky enough to fill a couple more coolers..I continued to fish and yesterday turned out to be the biggest day I have had since getting my commercial license. This is the type of action you can find during the spring when a large school stays in one area for a couple of days. As far as today was concerned , the bite shut off and I only caught two before I called it a day. The real challenge today was finding a spot on the beach to set up as fishermen were spread from Tiger Shores to the south end of Stuart Beach. EZ Flea Fishbites continues to be the hot bait along with frozen sandfleas. Other species that were present were blue runners, Spanish mackerel, jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, and a few bonefish. These pompano are constantly on the move so check conditions at some of your favorite beach accesses and if the water is that nice "clean green or powder blue ", throw your baits out and I hope you are lucky enough to find a few. 

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

The south end of Hutchinson Island was the place to be this weekend if you were looking to bend a rod along our local beaches. Bathtub, Fletcher, Santa Lucea, Stuart, and Tiger Shores beach accesses all produced pompano, bluefish, blue runners, ladyfish , and jacks on Saturday and Sunday, with Sunday producing a great pompano bite. The only downside to the great fishing was the challenge of finding a parking spot at most of those locations if you had decided to sleep in to take advantage of the mid morning high tide. Beautiful weather had beach goers out in big numbers up and down our St Lucie and Martin county beaches. I started at Bathtub on Saturday morning and managed to put seven nice pompano in the cooler and release some bluefish and blue runners before I left early in the afternoon. EZ Flea , Pink Shrimp, Yellow Crab, and Orange Clam Fishbites along with some frozen sandfleas all produced strikes during the day. The water color was green with some streaky brown areas but was improving during the afternoon tide . The key to making a big catch on Sunday was finding the right water and the current was moving to the north in the afternoon on Saturday when I packed it in. I fished with sons Paul Jr, who is visiting from up north, Randy, and my wife Deb on Sunday and what a great day we had. I took a brief look at Bathtub at dawn but as it got light it appeared the water had moved and with the north current I decided to go to Stuart and give it a shot. The hunch was correct and after we put together a recreational limit catch of eighteen pompano for the family, I stayed and filled another cooler with eighteen more before the falling tide shut off the bite. Mixed in with the pompano were bluefish, ladyfish, blue runners , and jacks that kept us hopping from pole to pole. The action was not just in one location either as local anglers Barry Rashkin and Barry Richards caught plenty of fish at spots just north and south of us. EZ Flea was the number one Fishbite scent for the pompano bites. Hopefully this school of pompano stays with us for the next few days and the key will be finding that nice water that holds them.

From Todd &Trey @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

                                 
INSHORE-  Springtime mullet run is on right now, and the big snook and jacks are taking notice.  The spring mullet run doesn't have the same amount of bait (or predators) as the fall migration; but for quality fish it is a great time to go.  Great time for catching the bigger snook as they begin to bulk up for the upcoming spawning season.  Jacks will also be hungry and cruising the seawalls ready to eat.  Tarpon reports are still coming in from Palm Beach Inlet, with some good ones being caught on live shrimp.  Look for the most action to go down early and late in the day, and don't be opposed to fishing at night either.  THe snook bite around the bridges at night has also been improving as of late.  

SURF/PIER-  Pompano action has been very good this week along the beach and at the Juno Beach Fishing Pier.  Sandfleas, clams, and FishBites are the top bait choices for the pompano.  Doc's Goofy Jigs have also been producing well along the beach.   Bluefish seem to be making their end of season push back north, with a fair number being caught at the pier and also north towards Hobe Sound Beach.  Cut mullet and sardines are the top producing baits for the bluefish.  The Juno Beach Pier has had a fair number of both Spanish and King Mackerel around, especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon.  Snook are showing up in better numbers at the Juno Beach Pier.  Frozen sardines remain a solid bait choice at the pier for the snook.  Overall good fishing along the beach,; should be a good weekend to give it a try!

From Capt. Charlie @Fishing Center-Fort Pierce

April is here on the Treasure Coast and brings Spring conditions to the area. Mild temperatures and windy days will be the norm this month. Fishing will be very productive as bait fills the river and the fish are hungry. It has been a mild winter and I am always excited to welcome Spring back again. Have fun and enjoy the fishing!

The grass flats will be active with trout and redfish. I love using a DOA Deadly Combo in April to locate the fish. There will also be pompano cruising the deeper flats. Doc’s Goofy Jigs are great pompano lures when they are in the river. Mackerel, bluefish and jacks will be plentiful around the inlets and channels this month. Small shiny lures will find you some action. April will bring lots of opportunities to the area.

Snook fishing will continue to be good this month. Inlets, bridges and sea walls can give you a good chance at catching a slot fish. DOA Bait Busters, feather jigs, live pilchards or pinfish are all excellent choices for snook fishing. There are many great areas to fish so plan on getting some fishing in this month.

Bridges will continue to hold sheephead, jacks, bluefish and some black drum. The sheepshead were in early and many have already left the river. The warmer water this year has progressed things earlier than normal, but there are still plenty of fish to be caught. Docks will hold the same fish and an excellent chance at hooking up with a redfish. The surf will hold whiting, pompano and a host of other fish feeding on the bait schools along the beaches.

April is the first month that fish can enjoy all the many baitfish schools and they will be feeding heavily on the schools around the flats. With the mild winter the water temperatures have remained mild and will be warming up more this month.

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

The spring surf fishing is showing signs of a great bite but surf conditions continue to be challenging up and down our beaches with weeds and off colored water keeping the catch rate down. Pompano, whiting, croaker, blue runners, and jacks are all bending rods on the days when the above conditions are not present. I started at Bathtub Beach on Monday morning and caught four nice pompano very quickly before the ever present weeds showed and made fishing impossible. EZ Flea, Orange Clam, and Pink Shrimp Fishbites , along with some clam strips produced the bites. I headed to Bridge Road Beach access in Hobe Sound in the afternoon and found the water not as clean but no weeds. If the water is slightly discolored and a bit streaky with some brown and green tint, try that area because the water could actually be cleaner on the bottom at that spot. That condition has been prevalent in Hobe Sound because of the beach replenishment activity that has been ongoing on Jupiter Island. The dredge pumping the sand in from offshore will create a cloudy and streaky effect along the shore line but the area where you are casting to at 70 to 100 yards off of the beach will have clean water on the bottom. I was lucky enough to put a dozen nice pompano and some big croaker in the cooler from 4 to 6 pm at the Public Beach access. EZ Flea was the hot bait for that afternoon bite. The swell was starting to build yesterday afternoon when I took a look at Tiger Shores, Stuart, and Santa Lucea and there were some weeds present . The forecast has conditions improving for the weekend so find the beach with decent water and no weeds and you will catch some fish.

Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

In Jensen Beach, the pompano fishing has been good, but its all been about finding the right water. Fishbites, clams and sandfleas have been working.
In the St. Lucie River, the snook fishing is getting better and better, but there have been quite a few small fish. Anglers working the bridges at night are catching the bigger ones. Flare Hawks and Spooltek lures are working well.
Along the beaches in Jupiter, the pompano fishing has been excellent! They are making their migration north and if you want to catch them this is the time. Clams, sandfleas and pompano rigs with Fishbites are working well. The best conditions along the beaches are a light southeast with surf that is not too rough.
At the Jupiter Inlet, anglers are catching Spanish mackerel and with the warming water, the snook are beginning to show up.
From the beaches of Lantana south to Delray, surf anglers have reported catching of Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle, bluefish and pompano. Gotcha Lures, Goofy jigs and Diamond Jigs have been the lures of choice.
At the Boynton Inlet, anglers have been catching snook, permit, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, jack crevalle, bluefish and croaker off the jetties. Early morning and night has been the times to fish live shrimp, crab, cut mullet or live pinfish.
Big jack crevalle up to 35 pounds have been crushing top water poppers worked along the seawalls and mangrove roots from Woolbright Bridge up to Lake Worth.
Lantana Bridge anglers using live shrimp, cut mullet, live mullet and small crabs have been landing sand perch, sheepshead, black drum, snook, ladyfish, bluefish, jack crevalle and croaker.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE
Though the wind was howling yesterday and made fishing a bit difficult, the bass bite has been fantastic recently.
Working the outside grasslines, the shiner bite has been good and for artificial swim baits and Gambler Aces have been working well.
The lake level is very low right now so be careful.
report courtesy of Palm Beach Post

Monday, April 1, 2019

Sebastian Inlet Report


BLUEFISH AND SNOOK PRIMARILY, BUT FLOUNDER AND SHEEPSHEAD IN THE CHANNEL TOO

Fishing was great this weekend at Sebastian Inlet and there was a lot of action we’re told.  Bluefish and Snook are biting off the North Jetty.  Use Got-cha lures and silver spoons for best results.  Our friend Tommy at Sebastian Inlet Bait & Tackle has been seeing some big Reds, Spanish Mackerel, Black Drum, Sheepshead and Flounder too.  Try for the Flounder and Sheepshead west of the bridge in the channel.  Rubber-tailed jigs have been working well for the Flounder and Sheepshead are biting on live shrimp and sandfleas.  
Our thanks to Ed Nunez, our featured angler of the week for sending in this picture of a Black Drum he caught by the North Jetty on a trip to the inlet!